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Questions and Answers
What does cosmogony mean?
Which cosmogonic myth describes creation as emerging from the lower worlds?
In an earth-diver creation story, what is typically sent to bring up mud for creation?
Which culture's cosmogony involves Ptah creating through speech?
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What distinguishes cosmogony from cosmology?
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Which type of myth is usually the most important in a culture?
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In myths of creation, what is the focus of Division or Consummation Stories?
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What is the main characteristic of Earth-Diver Stories in creation myths?
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Which type of creation myth involves the first person journeying from a cramped world into this world?
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According to Weigle, what do Consummation Stories in creation myths often associate with?
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Which type of cosmogony is very common among African and Native American traditions?
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What is the characteristic shared between cosmogonic egg myths and consummation motif in creation stories?
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What is one common aspect of cosmogonic myths from Africa, China, India, South Pacific, Greece, and Japan?
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Which theme is associated with the Enuma Elish, the creation myth of the Babylonians?
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According to Van Over's six basic themes, what is the role of the primeval abyss in cosmogonic myths?
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What is a key theme identified by Maclagan in cosmogonic myths?
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Which culture describes the cosmic egg as the 'placenta of the world'?
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What distinguishes world-parent myths like Enuma Elish from other cosmogonic myths?
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What is the main characteristic of creation myths categorized as 'Accretion or Conjunction Stories'?
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Which process best describes the concept of 'accretion' in creation myths?
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In 'Secretion Stories' creation myths, what are the typical divine emissions that lead to the formation of the cosmos?
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Which of the following is NOT an example of non-human formations resulting from divine secretions in creation myths?
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In the Chuckchee myth of Ku’urkil, what natural elements are created through Father Raven's secretions?
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Which type of creation myth involves the emergence of order through divine activities such as defecation and urination?
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What term is used to describe the Maker God, the quintessential architect, artisan, or craftsperson?
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What does the term 'Ex Nihilo' mean in Latin?
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Which of the following is NOT a method used by creators in cosmogonies to bring the world into being?
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Why do mythologists ask probing questions about why certain cultures depict creation through different types?
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What do some creation myths with multiple characteristics make mythologists question?
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How do environments influence the moods or tones of creation stories according to the text?
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Study Notes
Cosmogony and Cosmology
- Cosmogony refers to the birth of order, studying the origin of the universe.
- Cosmology, on the other hand, studies the universe at large and throughout its existence, without inquiring directly into the source of its origins.
Classification of Cosmogonies
- Creation ex nihilo: the creation of the world from nothing, examples include:
- Hebrew: Book of Genesis
- Egyptian: Ptah creates through speech
- Australian: Aboriginal creation myths
- Greek: Hesiod's Theogony begins with a great abyss, void
- Mayan: Popul Vu
- Earth-diver creation story: a divinity sends a waterfowl or amphibious creature to dive to the bottom of the primordial waters and bring up mud to create the world.
- Emergence from lower worlds: examples include:
- Navajo and Hopi myths
- Polynesian myth of various layers within a coconut shell
- Creation from a cosmic egg: examples include:
- Africa, China, India, South Pacific, Greece, and Japan
- Dogon people of West Africa describe the cosmic egg as the "placenta of the world"
- World-parent myth: examples include:
- Enuma Elish: the creation story of the Babylonians
- Egyptian, Zuni, and Polynesian myths
Approaches to Cosmogony
- Van Over's Six Basic Themes:
- Idea of a primeval abyss
- Originator(s) awakened or eternally existing in this abyss
- Originator(s) brood over the water
- Theme of the cosmic egg or embryo
- Creation from sacred sound or spoken word
- Theme of creation from the death of and body parts of the primeval god
- Maclagan's 8 themes:
- Inner and outer
- Something from nothing
- Conjugation of opposites
- World order and the order of the worlds
- Descent and ascent
- Earth body and sacrifice
- Death, time, and the elements
- Weigle's nine-part typology:
- Accretion or conjunction
- Secretion
- Sacrifice
- Division or conjugation
- Earth-diver
- Emergence
- Two creators
- Deus faber
- Ex nihilo
Types of Creation Myth
- Accretion or Conjunction Stories: the birth of order resulting from the mingling or layering of primal elements.
- Secretion Stories: the cosmos resulting from divine emissions, such as vomit, sweat, or urination.
- Sacrifice Stories: the creator god sacrifices him or herself or someone else to complete the work of creation.
- Division or Consummation Stories: the consummation motif shares with cosmogonic egg myths the knowledge that tiny germs contain within them astonishing potential for organized growth.
- Earth-Diver Stories: a god or agent dives to the bottom of the primordial deep and returns with a few grains of sand or a bit of mud from which the earth and the rest of the cosmos eventually arise.
- Emergence Stories: the first people or person journey from an original, cramped world or womb into this world.
- Two Creators: two gods creating the world through cooperation or competition.
- Deus Faber: the Maker God, the quintessential architect, artisan, or craftsperson.
- Ex Nihilo: the creator brings the world into being through speech, breath, dream, thought, or laughter.
Reading Creation Myths
- Keep in mind that the categories through which we discuss creation myths need not be strictly distinct and unrelated.
- Many myths exhibit multiple characteristics.
- Mythologists ask probing questions, such as:
- Why do certain cultures depict the creation through one chosen type rather than another?
- What is the culture ultimately trying to say about itself?
- Do any categories emphasize some values over other values?
- Do their environments influence the moods or tones of their stories?
- What kind of relationship is depicted between creators and humans and does this speak to a culture's contemporary understanding of divine beings?
- What symbols are used and what remains significant about these symbols in more contemporary descendants?
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Description
Test your knowledge on classifications of cosmogonies, including Weigle's nine-part typology and types of creation myths such as accretion or conjunction stories. Explore different theories like accretion, secretion, sacrifice, division, earth-diver, emergence, two creators, deus faber, and ex nihilo.
